Clinical trials

The project aims to investigate whether colorectal cancer screening can be improved using blood tests, thereby reducing the number of unnecessary colonoscopies. The Danish colorectal cancer screening program was implemented in 2014, and currently, all individuals aged 50-74 are invited every two years to participate. Those who test positive for hidden blood in their stool are referred for a colonoscopy. More than a third of the approximately 25,000 colonoscopies performed annually in the screening program can be classified as unnecessary, as they reveal a normal colon. This results in avoidable and unpleasant procedures for individuals and strains healthcare resources. The project seeks to reduce the number of these unnecessary colonoscopies by investigating whether blood biomarkers can identify individuals at very low risk of colorectal cancer after a positive stool test for hidden blood. By utilizing blood tests, screening could become more personalized, precise, and resource-efficient for the healthcare system.

The study is a prospective, non-randomized feasibility study evaluating blood sample and machine learning-based risk stratification for lung cancer in patients with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Patients with COPD will be recruited in general practice, where they will have a blood sample drawn. All data will be analyzed by the machine learning model, and patients with increased risk of lung cancer will be referred for a low-dose CT scan of the chest. The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the feasibility of AI and DNA methylation-based risk stratification for lung cancer in patients with COPD in a primary care setting. The secondary objectives are to evaluate the safety of the risk stratification approach, the potential effects on quality of life and wellbeing, to gain insight into the patient and physician perspectives, and to estimate the health economic consequences.

The study explores whether acupuncture as a supplement to conventional antiemetic medicine is superior in reducing the level of chemotherapy induced nausea compared to conventional anitemetic medicine alone. A total of 90 patients experiencing chemotherapy induced nausea will be allocated 1:1 to either acupuncture and antiemetic medicine or antiemetic medicine alone. The level of nausea and other cancer related symptoms will be assessed at baseline and 8 and 22 days after enrollment

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of supplementary polyunsaturated fatty acids on nerve damage in the body's extremitites of patients treated with oxaliplatin containing chemotherapy after surgery for colorectal cancer.

This study will investigate whether the senicapoc drug can prevent the scarring from worsening in interstitial lung disease. Researchers will compare Senicapoc to a placebo (a look-alike substance that contains no drug) to see if Senicapoc works to prevent lung function worsening. Participants will be asked to take 3 tablets a day for 26 weeks. Within this period, doctors will follow the participants, ask for experience of adverse events, check lung function and organ status, and participants will need to fill out quality-of-life questionnaires. A total of 5 visits are required, at initiation, after4, 13, 26 and 52 weeks. The final visit will occur 52 weeks after initiation and consist of a normal visit in the outpatient clinic where the doctor asks for relevant information regarding the period after end of administration of the study drug.

Management of unexpected malignant colorectal polyps removed endoscopically can be challenging due to the risk of residual tumor and lymphatic spread. International studies have shown that in patients choosing surgical management instead of watchful waiting, 54-82% of bowel resections are without evidence of residual tumor or lymphatic spread. As surgical management entails risks of complications and watchful waiting management entails risks of residual disease or recurrence, a clinical dilemma arises when choosing a management strategy. Shared decision making (SDM) is a concept that can be used in preference sensitive decision making to facilitate patient involvement, empowerment, and active participation in the decision making process. This is a clinical multicenter, non-randomized, interventional phase II study involving Danish surgical departments planned to commence in the first quarter of 2024. The aim of the study is to examine whether shared decision making and using a patient decision aid (PtDA) in consultations affects patients' choice of management compared with historical data. The secondary aim is to investigate Patient Reported Experience Measures (PREMs) and Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) using questionnaire feedback directly from the patients.

This clinical trial examines whether Dronabinol, which contains the synthetic psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), can alleviate severe breathlessness in patients with severe and very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

A single-center prospective study to elucidate whether extended robot-assisted right colectomy (e-RARC) performs as well as extended open right colectomy (e-ORC) in terms of specimen quality, and in addition, whether less postoperative morbidity and shorter length of stay (LOS) can be attained. Patients with colonic cancer near the right flexure or the oral part of the transverse colon will be compared excluding the most technically demanding and frail patients in both groups. A total of 40 patients undergoing e-RARC in a prospective series will be included and compared with 44 consecutive patients previously treated with e-ORC.

In recent years, an increasing number of retrospective and prospective observational studies have indicated that a subset of rectal cancer patients may avoid surgery if they can achieve a complete response to chemoradiotherapy. Prospective trials, including the previous Danish Watchful Waiting trials (NCT00952926, NCT02438839) in early rectal cancer have demonstrated high levels of organ preservation with dose-escalation, but it is unclear whether this was primarily due to tumor stage or dose level. The aim of the present study is to investigate if a higher dose of radiotherapy is superior compared to a standard dose in patients with early rectal cancer undergoing chemoradiotherapy with curative intent.

FRAME is a patient-centered survivorship care model embedded in routine oncology visits. It consists of: (1) a pre-visit patient-reported questionnaire (FRAME-PRO), (2) a clinician-patient dialogue guided by the responses, and (3) a tailored management plan including stepped-care referrals (general practitioner and municipality; oncology department supportive services; specialized late-effects clinics). The implementation is evaluated with the RE-AIM framework supplemented by Proctor implementation outcomes. Data sources include the "Mit Sygehus" app, departmental registries, purpose-built questionnaires, fidelity checklists, and qualitative interviews with clinicians, patients, and informal caregivers.